Our poor collective health is the big reason the health unit is expecting eight per cent funding hikes from the city and county this year, but Coun. Ed Sleiman says it’s money local ratepayers simply don’t have.

“It’s frustrating, these guys think money grows on trees,” the Ward 5 councillor said Wednesday of his experience as one of four city representatives on the 14-member board of health that passed a $17.7-million budget earlier this year despite his dissenting vote.

On Tuesday, Mayor Eddie Francis reacted angrily to a letter from associate medical officer of health and health unit CEO Dr. Gary Kirk, in which Kirk declined meeting this week with council to discuss the budget and added that “regardless of whether or when I appear … the provisions of the Health Protection and Promotion Act are clear: Once the Board of Health has approved a budget, the obligated municipalities are obligated, upon notification, to make payment.”

Dr. Gary Kirk from the Windsor Essex County Health Unit, speaks at city hall on January 28, 2013. (TYLER BROWNBRIDGE / The Windsor Star)

The health unit has notified the city it wants $2.633 million from the city for 2014, 8.1 per cent more than last year, contrary to a city council request that all agencies, boards and committees request the same or less than last year.

Out of 25 ABCs, 22 have complied with freezes or decreases, while Windsor police came in with a 2.1 per cent increase after a three-year freeze and Windsor Housing Corp. came in with a 1.9 per cent hike because it needs to rehab some older buildings, said city treasurer Onorio Colucci.

Kirk told The Star Wednesday that he wasn’t refusing to meet with city council. His letter simply stated he couldn’t make this week’s meeting and asked for a single report on the city’s concerns and four weeks lead time before meeting with council.

“There was no intention to appear arrogant,” Kirk said. He said the health unit doesn’t like making this demand of municipalities, which pay about 25 per cent of its budget, with the province paying 75.

“But at the same time, we need to improve the health of the population. That’s kind of the quandary we’re in.”

Windsor-Essex has some of the worst health outcomes in the province, he said, citing high rates of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and, until very recently, smoking. At the same time, the health unit gets sub-par provincial funding of $30.04 per person, compared to a high of $81.97 in one remote northern community and a mean of $58.

In recent years, the funding increase from the province has been stuck at two per cent despite rising demands to meet Ontario’s public health standards. Nineteen of the province’s 36 health units have responded by calling on municipalities to pay more than their 25 per cent share, said Kirk.

Ideally, the province should pay more, “but ultimately at the end of the day we look to someone to try to improve the health of the community.”

This year’s budget calls for four new hires: a dietician to help find kids who are nutritionally at risk; two health protection nurses to help with family health and immunization programs; and a health promotion specialist to help with health inspections and infectious disease prevention.

Sleiman said he recognizes the health unit is trying to improve the health of the community. “And I think honestly they’ve been doing a good job. But the point is, if we don’t have the money, let’s live with what we have.”

The 2014 budget would see the provincial-municipal ratio moving from 75:25 to 73:27, he said, questioning how far that ratio will slide. “Let’s leave it alone for now, live with what we have and I think everyone will be happy.”

The budget was approved at a January board of health meeting with two Windsor councillors (Ron Jones and Bill Marra) absent, according to minutes. Sleiman voted against the budget but Coun. Hilary Payne voted for it because it called for the city’s increase to be paid from a surplus, according to Payne. After that approval, city staff made it known it opposed using a surplus to pay for increasing costs and at the following meeting in February, Payne, Jones and Sleiman voted against a motion to immediately implement the budget. The final vote was a 6-3 approval with recently elected Windsor Coun. Irek Kusmierczyk abstaining because it was his first meeting.

Payne said he was part of city council that approved a no-increase budget, so he could not vote for the eight per cent hike from the health unit.

“But the fact of the matter is, the majority of the (health) board voted for the increase.”

Tecumseh Mayor Gary McNamara, who chairs the health board, refused to comment Wednesday, referring The Star to Kirk. County Warden Tom Bain said that while all four county representatives on the health board voted for the budget, that doesn’t mean it will be passed at county council.

“Eight per cent, that’s something we’re going to have to take a look at, eight per cent is a huge increase,” he said.

Windsor is continuing to make its regular payments to the health unit, without the requested increase. When asked what the health unit will do if Windsor doesn’t pay what it’s mandated to pay, Kirk replied:

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